White Ship

The White Ship (French: la Blanche-Nef; Medieval Latin: Candida navis) was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur during a trip from France to England on 25 November 1120.[1] Only one of approximately 300 people aboard, a butcher from Rouen, survived.[2]

Quick facts: History, , General characteristics... ▼

The White Ship sinking
History
Name	Blanche-Nef
Out of service	25 November 1120
Fate	Struck a submerged rock off Barfleur, Normandy
General characteristics
Class and type	Sailing ship
Installed power	Square sails
Propulsion	Wind and oars

Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I of England, his half-siblings Matilda of Perche and Richard of Lincoln, the earl of Chester Richard d'Avranches, and Geoffrey Ridel. With William Adelin dead, the king had no obvious successor, and his own death 15 years later set off a succession crisis and a period of civil war in England known as the Anarchy (1135–1153).